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Journal of the Serbian Chemical Society 2009 Volume 74, Issue 4, Pages: 455-460
https://doi.org/10.2298/JSC0904455M
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Bioremediation of soil heavily contaminated with crude oil and its products: Composition of the microbial consortium

Milić Jelena S. (Centar za hemiju, Institut za hemiju, tehnologiju i metalurgiju, Beograd)
Beškoski Vladimir P. ORCID iD icon (Centar za hemiju, Institut za hemiju, tehnologiju i metalurgiju, Beograd)
Ilić Mila V. ORCID iD icon (Centar za hemiju, Institut za hemiju, tehnologiju i metalurgiju, Beograd)
Ali Samira A.M. (Hemijski fakultet, Beograd)
Gojgić-Cvijović Gordana Đ. ORCID iD icon (Centar za hemiju, Institut za hemiju, tehnologiju i metalurgiju, Beograd)
Vrvić Miroslav M. ORCID iD icon (Hemijski fakultet, Beograd)

Bioremediation, a process that utilizes the capability of microorganism to degrade toxic waste, is emerging as a promising technology for the treatment of soil and groundwater contamination. The technology is very effective in dealing with petroleum hydrocarbon contamination. The aim of this study was to examine the composition of the microbial consortium during the ex situ experiment of bioremediation of soil heavily contaminated with crude oil and its products from the Oil Refinery Pančevo, Serbia. After a 5.5-month experiment with biostimulation and bioventilation, the concentration of the total petroleum hydrocarbons (TPH) had been reduced from 29.80 to 3.29 g/kg (89 %). In soil, the dominant microorganism population comprised Gram-positive bacteria from actinomycete-Nocardia group. The microorganisms which decompose hydrocarbons were the dominant microbial population at the end of the process, with a share of more than 80 % (range 107 CFU/g). On the basis of the results, it was concluded that a stable microbial community had been formed after initial fluctuations.

Keywords: bioremediation, microbial consortia, petroleum contamination